2026-2027 MEDEX Application Cycle Is Now Open
Applications will be accepted May 1 - October 1, 2026 for June 2027 matriculation.
Prospective applicants should review the updated admissions criteria on the Applicants page before applying.
Features
Meet some of the people of MEDEX Northwest – students and faculty, founders and visionaries – who have helped to forge the forward path for PAs and affect change in world of progressive and responsible healthcare delivery.
UW MEDEX Founder Dr. Richard A. Smith Honored by President Obama
On January 1st, 2017, President Barack Obama honored Richard A. Smith, MD, a founding father of the Physician Assistant profession, for his many contributions in the areas of PA education, racial desegregation and global health. Dr. Smith has devoted his lifetime to the cause of improving access to basic healthcare [...]
MEDEX Classnotes Winter 2017
We love hearing from our MEDEX Alumni, affirming the good they are doing out in the world. Here we present the firsthand accounts of nineteen MEDEX alumni, all involved in their communities. Whether based in Antarctica or the US Virgin Islands, MEDEX PAs are having an impact.
Approaching Homelessness With Passion
Homelessness is a pernicious problem in Seattle, exacerbated by an absence of affordable housing. The arrival of Tent City 3 on the campus of the University of Washington coincides with MEDEX 580, a first-ever course on “Homelessness in Seattle” for UW students in the health sciences. Training future healthcare providers [...]
MEDEX And The PANCE Exam: Seeing Results
In six years, MEDEX saw its students’ first-time pass rate for the national licensure exam go up from 79% to 93%. This took nothing less than a complete overhaul of the didactic and clinical curriculum to better fit how the profession defines competency. Over this period, MEDEX faculty and a [...]
MEDEX Spokane Site Moves to Gonzaga with UW Medicine
After twenty years in Spokane, the MEDEX Spokane site has relocated to Gonzaga University as part of the University of Washington/Gonzaga University Regional Health Partnership. For the first time, Spokane PA students are housed in the same building with UW Medical Students. Spokane Class 20 launches with its own dedicated [...]
Influential PA Kaye Kvam Remembered
Over a career span of 36 years, Kaye Kvam occupied multiple roles as a physician assistant: clinician, teacher, mentor, politician, preceptor and advocate for PAs. From 1991 to 1997 she taught at MEDEX Northwest, delivering the didactic curriculum with humor and love. At this time of Kaye’s passing, we celebrate [...]
New MEDEX Graduates Celebrate End of Studies
Each year MEDEX Northwest educates over 100 physician assistants across four sites, and 2016 added new alumni to the ranks of over 2,200 prior graduates. With four graduation ceremonies taking place over two weeks, a summary review of the highlights reminds us what it takes to become a PA.
MEDEX Welcomes Incoming 2016 PA Students
Since the program’s founding by Dr. Richard Smith in 1967, MEDEX Northwest students have been known for their concerns about social justice. Day 1 for the 2016 incoming class is a strong brew wherein leadership lays out the path forward for the next two years. The students—all 133 of them—have [...]
MEDEX/UW Hands-Off DHAT Program to Alaska Tribal College
Dental Health Aides serve much the same role in dentistry as physician assistants in medicine. For twelve years MEDEX Northwest provided a pathway to a UW certificate for the Native Alaskan students of the DENTEX DHAT program. Now, by mutual agreement with ANTHC, MEDEX hands over this responsibility to Alaska’s [...]
MEDEX PA Provider To USA Diving Team
With a strong background as a certified athletic trainer, Jennifer Carrol taught sports medicine before becoming a physician assistant. While teaching part-time at MEDEX Northwest, Jen remains firmly rooted in sports medicine at UW. Recently, her unique skills set afforded her the opportunity to serve as medical staff for the [...]